Ryszard Kuklinski: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Ryszard Kuklinski

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	Topics Ryszard Kuklinski Topic Home Ryszard Jerzy Kuklinski was a PolishPoland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe.... colonelFacts About Colonel Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the w... and Cold WarCold War The Cold War was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between dem... spy. Motivated by the desire to promote the Polish national interest, he passed top secret Warsaw PactWarsaw Pact he Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty, officially named the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance ,... documents to the CIA between 1971 and 1981. Career Kuklinski was born in WarsawWarsaw Warsaw is the capital of Poland and its largest city.... in a working class family with socialist traditions. His father was a member of the resistancePolish resistance movement in World War II Polish resistance movement was a resistance movement in Poland, part of the anti-fascist resistance movement which fought ag... during World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... who died in the SachsenhausenSachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen was a concentration camp in Germany, operating between 1936 and April 1945.... German concentration camp. After the war, Kuklinski began a successful career in the Polish People's ArmyPolish People's Army Polish People's Army can refer to:... . He took part in the preparations for the Warsaw PactWarsaw Pact Overview he Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty, officially named the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance ,... 's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. After the December 1970 massacre of Polish workersPolish 1970 protests The Polish 1970 protests were anti-communist protests that occurred in northern Poland in December 1970.... in GdyniaGdynia Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport at Gdansk Bay on the south coast of the B... by communist forces, Kuklinski contacted the CIA and offered his services as a spy. (According to another version, he was approached by the CIA in VietnamVietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia.... as early as 1967.) Between 1971 and 1981 he passed 35,000 pages of mostly Soviet secret documents to the CIA. The documents described Moscow's strategic plans regarding the use of nuclear weapons, technical data about the T-72T-72 The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1971.... tank and StrelaStrela Overview Strela may refer to:A series of Russian-manufactured anti-aircraft missiles... -1 missiles, the distribution of Soviet anti-aircraft bases in Poland and East Germany, the methods used by the Soviets to avoid spy satelliteSpy satellite A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applica... detection of their military hardware, plans for the imposition of martial law in PolandMartial law in Poland The period of martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983 when the government... , and many other matters. Facing imminent danger of discovery, Kuklinski was extracted from Poland by the CIA, along with his wife and two sons, shortly before the imposition of martial law in December 1981. On May 23, 1984 Kuklinski was sentenced to death, in absentiaIn absentia Overview in absentia is Latin for "in the absence." In legal use it usually pertains to a defendant's right to be present in court proc... , by a secret military court in Warsaw. After the fall of communism, the sentence was annulled. Kuklinski visited Poland again in April 1998. He died of stroke at the age of 73 in a Tampa, FloridaFacts About Tampa, Florida Tampa is a major United States city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of Florida.... , hospital, in 2004. He was buried June 19, 2004 in the honour row of the Powazki military cemetery in Warsaw, Poland, along with his son Waldemar who died in the 1990s at the hands of persons unknown. His other son died several years earlier, also under circumstances not fully explained. Viewpoints Kuklinski was the chief of a planning division of the Polish army, and was a liaisonLiaison Liaison may be:* Liaison, the pronunciation of a written-word-final consonant due to a following vowel sound... between the Polish army and the Soviet military. He knew the Polish forces within the Warsaw Pact. While details of the general plans for the Warsaw Pact forces were known only in MoscowMoscow Moscow is the capital of Russia and the country's principal political, economic, financial, educational, and transportation... , Kuklinski could infer much from his contacts in Moscow. Kuklinski found out details of Soviet plans for attacking and conquering Western Europe. These anticipated that Poland would be sacrificed and would be expected to take from 400 to 600 nuclear hits from Western forces. He promoted an option for Polish army to work with NATONATO Aznar also proposed a strategic co-operation with India and Colombia. ... together to prevent it. Due to the de facto Soviet occupation and infiltration of Poland in communist times, Polish interests could only be promoted secretly at the time. For this reason, he approached the CIA on his own initiative. Kuklinski's information had a major impact on NATO's military plans in Europe, which were adjusted based on his suggestions; the changes would have reduced the nuclear attacks on Poland in the event of a war. Opinion in Poland Kuklinski remains a very controversial figure for many Poles. Some consider him a national hero, some a traitor. Some are of the opinion that by revealing military plans to the AmericansUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... , he foiled a planned Soviet invasion of Poland in 1981 (resulting in the lesser evil of the martial lawFacts About Martial law in Poland The period of martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983 when the government... ), and in this way may have helped prevent the start of a World War IIIWorld War III World War Three is a term used to describe a hypothetical conflict on the scale of World War II or larger.... that would have resulted in the nuclear destruction of Poland (or revealing those plans made Poland target for NATO nuclear counterstrike). This is difficult to judge, as the causes of the events surrounding the 1981 martial law are still hotly disputed by historians. Kuklinski is buried in the honour row of the Powazki military cemetery in Warsaw, and has been given honorary citizenship of several Polish cities, among which most notable are KrakówKraków Krakw see also Names of European cities in different languages) is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, with... and GdanskGdansk Gdansk is the sixth-largest city in Poland, and also its principal seaport and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.... . The Polish political group Centrum (at the time headed by Zbigniew ReligaZbigniew Religa Zbigniew Religa is a prominent cardiologist and politician. ... ) requested in 2004 that President of Poland posthumously award Kuklinski the rank of general. External links [https://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/summer00/art03.html The Vilification and Vindication of Colonel Kuklinski] from the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency is an intelligence agency of the United States Government.... and - an essay